Money and finance

Reduce your childcare bills

There are lots of different ways you can get support to reduce your childcare costs. Take a look at our childcare costs section. If you would like to talk to someone about what support might be available please contact the York Family Information Service.

Money Advice

The Money Advice Service helps people manage their money. They do this directly through their own free and impartial advice service. They also work in partnership with other organisations to help people make the most of their money. They're an independent service, set up by government. They also have an informative section on how to look after your money during different life events for example setting up home and having a baby.

If you're a customer of Jobcentre Plus you can get a personalised return to work calculation to help you see how going back to work will make a difference to your finances. For more information contact your local Jobcentre Plus.

Child maintenance

Child maintenance is regular, reliable financial support that helps towards a child’s everyday living costs. The parent who doesn’t have main day-to-day care of the child pays child maintenance to the parent or person (such as a grandparent or guardian) who does, but it can be about more than just money. Child Maintenance Options have more information.

Grants

Financial assistance are often available through grant giving charities depending on you background and circumstances. Turn2us is a free service that helps people in financial need to access welfare benefits, charitable grants and other financial help – online, by phone and face to face through our partner organisations. If you need to use the internet and don’t have access at home, you can always use libraries, children’s centres or the computers in West Offices.

YFAS Emergency Assistance – this is to help with a disaster or crisis; and

YFAS Community Assistance – this is to help with a return to the community or to help customers to remain in the community. This can also help ease exceptional financial pressure on families, for example providing help to attend a funeral or with visiting a relative who is ill.

Financial assistance will be targeted at those most in need and will assist in allowing residents to continue to live in our communities.

If you or someone in your family has a disability or additional need then Family Fund may be able to help with a grant, alternatively, you may want to try a national charity related to the condition.

Benefits

Make sure you’ve had a full benefits check and that you’re claiming everything you’re entitled to. The benefits system is complicated and can be difficult to navigate so there is support to help you. (If you are going to check a benefits check, you will need some documents and information to hand)

City of York Council has welfare benefit advisors that can provide information and help residents to claim the benefits that they may be entitled to?
To speak to a welfare benefits adviser, please ring 01904 552044. This phone is manned between 08:30 and 17:00 Monday to Friday

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You might be able to get Carer’s Allowance if all of the following apply:
- you’re 16 or over
- you spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone
- have been in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years
- you normally live in England, Scotland or Wales, or you live abroad as a member of the armed forces
- you’re not in full-time education
- you’re not studying for 21 hours a week or more
- you earn no more than £110 a week (after taxes, care costs while you’re at work and 50% of what you pay into your pension) - don’t count your pension as income
you’re not subject to immigration control
You might still be eligible if you’re moving to or already living in another EEA country.
The rules are different in Northern Ireland.
Helpline 0345 608 4321
Mon to Thurs: 8:30am - 5pm
Friday: 8:30am - 4:30pm
Closed public holidays.
Calls answered within 5 minutes.
Calls cost up to 9p a minute from landlines, calls from mobiles may cost more.

Our service is free, independent, confidential and impartial. It is open to everyone in the community. Our advice helps people resolve their problems with debt, benefits, employment, housing, discrimination, and many more issues. We won’t tell you what to do but we will arm you with all the facts and possible outcomes of different options. If needed, we can also offer practical support such as help with filling in forms, writing letters or negotiating with third parties.
The Bureau also employs a range of specialists who are professionals in particular areas of welfare law. We will refer you to an appropriate person if needed once you have been seen on our general advice service. The general advice service is staffed by a team of professionally trained advisers who undertake to work free of charge. All advisers use the information and technical resources we have in-Bureau so that the advice you are given is accurate, relevant and tailored to your needs.
Walk-in face to face advice at West Offices
Monday 09.30 – 14.30
Wednesday 09.30 – 14.30
You will be offered an initial check by an experienced Adviser to help us identify the best route for you to take in getting your problem solved. You may be directed to our website, given some information, or, if it is better for you, we may signpost you to another agency. Alternatively we may refer you for a full advice interview.
Outreach sessions across York at:
*The Oaken Grove Community Centre in Haxby: 4th Tuesday of each month, (apointments for Haxby and Wigginton residents only 769176)
*Huntington Community Centre: 2nd and 4th Thursday morning of each month, 9:30 - 12:30, (appointments only for Huntington residents, 623648).
*The Tang Hall Community Centre: Friday mornings, 9:30 - 12:30, (drop-in).
*The Old School in Wigginton: 1st and 3rd Wednesday morning of each month, 9:30 -12:30, (drop-in)

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday:
The Customer Access and Assessment Team ( CAAT ) is the first point of contact for any adult, (a person aged 18 years and above) social care enquiries for new customers, (who reside in the City Of York Area), and their carers and or other professionals involved in that customers care.
Enquiries in the first instance will be received by our Customer Contact Workers whose role is one of prevention by providing information and advice in respect of what is available to customers and their carers in the voluntary, community and health sector.
They also sign post customers and their carers to organisations within these sectors and to make referrals to other CYC services ,Occupational Therapy, Sensory Team and Carers Assessments to name but a few.
The Customer Contact Workers also undertake Initial Contact Assessments for those customers that require a formal Social Care Assessment. In order for them to do this they will ask a number of questions to gather information required to make the necessary decision as to which team is the most appropriate to undertake the assessment.
If a customer requires a formal Social Care Assessment, in the first instance our Customer Contact Workers will consider the Universal Offer which is for customers where appropriate to have a period of assessment via the Intensive Support Service Team.
They will give information to customers about personalisation and Self Directed Support and how they may, if eligible, buy in their own care via a Direct Payment.
Within CAAT we also offer a Social Care Assessment function for those customers deemed not eligible or appropriate to have assessment via the Intensive Support Service Team.
Social Care Managers/Worker work with customers, their carers and any professional agency involved in their care to determine eligible need and give information and advice as to how those needs might be met and the cost implications of those options via a referral to our Finance Department.
Our aim is to enable customers and their carers to make informed choices about how their needs should be met and to enable, where possible, customers and their carers to secure those services themselves or to support and commission services on their behalf if needed.
We also provide a duty service within CAAT which covers those situations whereby an urgent Social Care Assessment and service is required that day.
Mobile for hearing impaired customers only 07534 437804
Outside office hours the Emergency Duty Team can be contacted on 01609 780780

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday:
Service providing information and therapeutic care for patients and their families and carers. We operate a drop-in service (Mon-Fri, 9-4:30) for those affected by cancer. We also offer complementary therapy and cancer psychology (for which referral is required), access to specialist nurses and information on all aspects of cancer.
The Cancer Care Centre at York hospital has a partnership with the City of York Council Benefits Advisory Service so that cancer patients and families can access vital support with financial matters. The benefits advisor is available at specific times on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please call the Cancer Care Centre reception on 721166 for more information.

Cancer is the toughest fight most of us will ever face. But you and your family don’t have to go through it alone. The Macmillan team is with you every step of the way,
from the nurses and therapists helping you through treatment to the campaigners improving cancer care.
For cancer support every step of the way call Macmillan on 0808 808 00 00 (Monday to Friday, 9am-8pm) or visit macmillan.org.uk

Turn2us is a free service that helps people in financial need to access welfare benefits, charitable grants and other financial help – online, by phone and face to face through our partner organisations.
Our website can help you find financial support, quickly and easily, based on your circumstances. It features a free and easy to use Benefits Calculator, Grants Search and other information and resources.
Turn2us is part of Elizabeth Finn Care.

The Citizens Advice service helps people to resolve their problems. As the UK's largest advice provider we are equipped to deal with any issue, from anyone, spanning debt and employment to consumer and housing plus everything in between. This includes benefits, relationships, tax, education, healthcare, discrimination and law and rights.

Age UK York provides advice, information and practical help for older people over 60 and their carers, including: benefits and housing advice, social support, short breaks for carers, helping people after a stay in hospital and holidays and other leisure activities.

Wednesday:
Weekly Information and Budgeting Cafes offer support to make use of the vast range of information and web tools available help you save money and sort out those day to day problems.
We can help you find the answer.
The Information and Budgeting Cafes have access to computers, free wi-fi and support on hand to help people get on-line, find the right, trusted websites to get the best deal, get discounts, find out about benefits and other ways to manage their money.
Our sessions enable people to develop online skills over time, in a relaxed and informal setting, covering areas such as
•budgeting
•using email and the internet
•reducing costs through finding better deals, e.g. for insurance, banking, gas, electric, loans, phone, etc.
•smart shopping
•managing online accounts, e.g. bank and energy accounts
•checking benefit entitlement
•making online benefit claims
•eligibility for free childcare

Thursday:
Weekly Information and Budgeting Cafes offer support to make use of the vast range of information and web tools available help you save money and sort out those day to day problems.
We can help you find the answer.
The Information and Budgeting Cafes have access to computers, free wi-fi and support on hand to help people get on-line, find the right, trusted websites to get the best deal, get discounts, find out about benefits and other ways to manage their money.
Our sessions enable people to develop online skills over time, in a relaxed and informal setting, covering areas such as
•budgeting
•using email and the internet
•reducing costs through finding better deals, e.g. for insurance, banking, gas, electric, loans, phone, etc.
•smart shopping
•managing online accounts, e.g. bank and energy accounts
•checking benefit entitlement
•making online benefit claims
•eligibility for free childcare